NYIAS 2011: Rolls-Royce Phantom Spirit of Ecstasy Edition

The highlight at the Rolls-Royce exhibit in New York is a special edition Phantom Spirit of Ecstasy. Designed to celebrate the centenary of the Spirit …

The highlight at the Rolls-Royce exhibit in New York is a special edition Phantom Spirit of Ecstasy. Designed to celebrate the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy in 2011, the special Phantom joins the exclusive collection of bespoke Phantom models.

According to the company, one hundred cars will be delivered to customers bearing a suite of features inspired by the legendary flying lady, complemented by a range of exclusive exterior colours, wood veneers and leather options.

The exclusive model brought to the 2011 New York Auto Show is painted with the multilayer Maiden Blue finish, one of the four colors available in the in this Spirit of Ecstasy series: Rhapsody Black and Ethereal White Pearl. Each car features dozens of unique elements and hand-crafted details which are available only on these vehicles. Cast in silver, each Spirit of Ecstasy will feature a base complete with black-gold plated bezel bearing the commemorative inscription Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary.

A new badge has been developed to authenticate the Collection and it’s located on the trunk lid as well as on front side panels. The badge features white enamel RR detail set. A trademark Rolls-Royce twin coachline is accentuated on Collection cars, thanks to a delicate hand-painted Spirit of Ecstasy insignia, the detail of which has been taken from an original line-drawing by Charles Sykes, the mascot’s creator.

Inside the car, the fine luxurious details are overwhelming, in a positive way. The 100 years Spirit of Ecstasy collection cars come with an analogue clock; the outer bezel of which is crafted from Britannia Silver, incorporating the unique set of six hallmarks. The backlit face presents an inner ring of silver incorporating the centenary inscription. The lid of the center console features solid Britannia Silver commemorative plaque engraved with the inscription Spirit of Ecstasy – One of One Hundred.

The Phantom is powered by the 6.75-liter V-12 engine that outputs 452 horsepower, enough to take the Phantom to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds.

The Spirit of Ecstasy special edition Phantoms come with a hefty price, but certainly attractive for the current Rolls owners or car collections: $444,000.

Rolls-Royce worldwide sales remain strong. At the 2011 New York Auto Show, David Archibald, president of Rolls-Royce in North America, said the company aims to double sales in the second quarter, in large part because of its Ghost model. The Ghost, priced lower than the Phantom at $246,500, helped Rolls-Royce hit a record in global sales of 2,711 in 2010, up 167 percent over the previous year, and brought the company a new demographic of buyers.

According to Archibald, U.S. is still Rolls-Royce’s biggest market, but China should overtake it in the relative short term future. Rolls-Royce of North America will open four new dealerships this year.

The photo gallery below includes two other Rolls Royce models displayed at 2011 the New York Auto Show: Ghost and Drophead.